27/08/2026
Liberia to Convene UN High-Level Side Event on Climate, Conflict and Natural Resources
By staff Reporter
MONROVIA, LIBERIA — August 27, 2026
Liberia is set to host a high-level side event on the margins of next month’s United Nations meetings in New York, focusing on the growing links between climate change, conflict and natural-resource governance.
The announcement was made by the Executive Director of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Dr. Emmanuel King Urey Yarkpawolo, during the Ministry of Information’s regular press briefing on Thursday.
The event, titled “The Nexus Between Climate, Conflict, and Natural Resources: Pathways to Peace, Resilience, and Sustainable Development,” is scheduled for September 23, 2026, from 12 noon to 2 p.m. The venue will be announced later.
The initiative is being organized under the auspices of Liberia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in collaboration with Liberia’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations and with technical support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
The gathering is expected to bring together senior Liberian government officials, UN representatives, development partners, environmental experts, civil society organizations, private-sector actors and communities directly affected by environmental and climate-related challenges.
Dr. Yarkpawolo stressed that climate change does not automatically cause conflict but can serve as a “threat multiplier” by intensifying existing social and economic vulnerabilities.
He identified poverty, displacement, food and water insecurity, competition over land and natural resources, weak governance and social tensions as some of the factors that can be worsened by climate-related pressures.
According to him, the issue is particularly significant for Liberia because the country relies heavily on its forests, minerals, wetlands, coastal ecosystems, water resources and biodiversity.
However, these natural assets are increasingly under pressure from coastal erosion, flooding, deforestation, wetland encroachment, unsustainable mining, pollution and other environmental threats.
Dr. Yarkpawolo warned that unequal distribution of benefits from natural resources, weak enforcement of environmental regulations and climate-related losses of livelihoods could increase inequality and contribute to disputes within communities.
“Peace cannot be separated from the environment,” he said, emphasizing that lasting peace requires the fair, transparent and responsible management of natural resources.
The September event will showcase Liberia’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), climate adaptation priorities, natural-resource governance reforms and emerging carbon-market framework.
Participants are also expected to explore ways of connecting climate action with conflict prevention, peacebuilding, community resilience, employment creation and inclusive economic development.
Organizers hope the discussions will generate policy recommendations for integrating climate security, conflict prevention and natural-resource governance into national, regional and international decision-making.
The meeting will also provide an opportunity to strengthen partnerships and explore access to climate financing, technical assistance and investment for vulnerable communities, particularly those facing coastal erosion, land degradation, deforestation, mining-related impacts and livelihood insecurity.
Dr. Yarkpawolo further called for stronger institutions, transparent governance and equitable sharing of natural-resource benefits, while emphasizing the meaningful participation of women, young people, Indigenous peoples and local communities in decisions affecting the environment and natural resources.
The initiative, according to the statement, is aligned with President Joseph Nyuma Boakai Sr.’s broader vision of promoting peace, responsible environmental governance and inclusive national development.
Dr. Yarkpawolo also urged Liberian media institutions to play a greater role in educating the public about the connection between climate change, environmental protection, peace and natural-resource management.